Mohammad Javadi

Literary Translator (English & French to Persian / Persian to English)

BIOGRAPHY

Born in Tehran in 1980, Mohammad Javadi is an award-winning literary translator with over two decades of professional experience specializing in English-to-Persian, French-to-Persian, and Persian-to-English translation of modern and contemporary literary fiction.

His journey began at the age of nineteen—prior to entering university—when he completed an intensive English language program and started translating a wide range of texts. In 1999, he enrolled at Allameh Tabataba’i University to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in French Translation (graduating in 2004), further deepening his passion for global literatures. By 2001, he had begun working on his first book-length translation.

To date, Javadi has built a robust bibliography of over 55 published titles, introducing Persian readers to landmark works by major international authors.

In 2014, Javadi was awarded a fully-funded Translation Fellowship by the Banff International Literary Translation Centre (BILTC) in Alberta, Canada. During this residency, he was selected as the official translator of Joseph Boyden’s works in Iran, meeting directly with the author to discuss the translation of The Orenda and engaging in specialized roundtables with fourteen selected translators from around the world.

RECENT & UPCOMING TRANSLATIONS

• The Secrets of Nayeb-Sadr Mansion by Mandana Tabrizi

  (First Persian-to-English translation of this epic 500-page novel; completed in 2026, currently seeking publication / publisher submission)

FEATURED AUTHORS TRANSLATED

• Roberto Bolaño

• Javier Cercas

• Jorge Volpi

• John Banville

• Dan Simmons

• Justin Cronin

• Stephen King

• Alistair MacLeod

• Ariana Neumann

• Joseph Boyden

• V.E. Schwab

HONORS & LITERARY AWARDS

• 2024 | Honourable Mention in Translation, 11th Mehr Book Award (Iran) – For the translation of Gallant by V.E. Schwab.

• 2019 | Translation of the Year, Alborz Province Book Awards (Iran) – For the translation of The Soldiers of Salamis by Javier Cercas.

• 2015 | Tajrobeh Monthly Festival Award (Iran) – Translation of the Year for the landmark Persian edition of 2666 by Roberto Bolaño.

• 2014 | Translation Fellowship, Banff International Literary Translation Centre (BILTC) (Canada) – Selected to collaborate directly with author Joseph Boyden on The Orenda.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• Registered Cultural Professional / Artist, Canada Council for the Arts Database (2014–Present)

• Full Member, Iranian Translators and Interpreters Association / ITIA (2011–Present)

EDUCATION

• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in French Translation

  Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran (1999–2004)